May 14, 2014
The mapheads in the Yale University Map Department are developing the Digital Atlas of New Haven, an application that hosts old maps of New Haven in full detail. The library owns copies of the famed Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for New Haven and has uploaded all the maps from the 1911 atlas, stitched together for seamless viewing. Lots of amazing historical features to browse: Oak Street before the connector, downtown before parking lots, New Haven’s trolley routes, land speculation in Westville, and the streets around Yale before the university’s Gothic expansion in the 1920s.
Other maps in the Digital Atlas include:
- Frederick Law Olmstead and Cass Gilbert’s 1910 Plan of New Haven (including their proposed “emerald necklace” and Union Station connector: more on that here)
- The 1937 Homeowner’s Loan Corporation map of New Haven (of “redlining” notoriety)
Bookmark now, more maps to come! All credit to Stacey Maples, Yale’s resident GIS ninja.